Intellectual Property

Intellectual property can be a complicated and convoluted aspect of managing collections. Institutions will find themselves in possession of objects that have intellectual property rights attached to them. It is important to be aware of, and respect those rights when you use these objects in exhibitions, printed publications, or online. The term “objects” refers to both two and three dimensional items and reproductions of them. In this module, you will come to know the standards that libraries, archives, and museums must consider when dealing with intellectual property, and what constitutes fair use for different types of organizations.

WebinarIntellectual Propertyfrom theLibrary/Archives Point-of-View webinar is presented by Dean DeBolt, University Librarian, Special Collections and West Florida Archives, John C. Pace Library, University of West Florida.Museum Point-of-View is presented by Laura Nemmers, Registrar, Harn Museum of Art.

Activity
Discussion Question: What kind of consideration does your institution give to the intellectual property rights connected to objects it would like to digitize? Are there times when an object is digitized before the status of rights is known? If so, how do you handle potential reproductions?

Speaker Biography
Dean DeBolt is the University Archivist and Librarian at the University Archives and West Florida History Center, University of West Florida. There he is responsible for a sizeable collection that includes rare books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, and paintings. Dean is also Adjunct Professor in the History Department where he teaches Archives Administration and Management. He holds a MA in Library Science from University of Illinois, and a MA in History from Sangamon State University. He also received an Archives Certificate from Ohio Historical Society.

Laura K. Nemmers has been the Registrar at the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida since 2005. During her tenure as Registrar, she has conducted seminars and workshops on collections care, co-authored the Harn Museum’s 20th Anniversary catalog, and authored and co-authored numerous publications on collections and collections care. Laura has a MA in Museum Studies from the University of Florida, and BA in Art History from Florida State University. .